The most important literary device that the poet Patrick Lane uses in "The Bird" is an extended metaphor, sometimes referred to as a conceit. Throughout the poem, Lane compares freedom to a bird; the person that the poet speaks to is continually compared to someone who tried to capture a bird but ended up killing it.

To me, the poet seems to be addressing someone who is trying to accomplish something great by interfering with other people's freedom; perhaps he is addressing a dictator who is trying to "whip" his country to progress and success. The poet refers to this as: "You wanted / to cage a bird in your hands / and learn to fly."

The poet warns that this cannot be done. By limiting people's freedoms, they will not be able to accomplish truly great things. The poet expresses this by way of a metaphor: